Forever in Secret
by morachao
Summary: Finn and Princess Bubblegum have a HUGE secret. Sometimes big surprises come in small bodies, like in this case, a baby. Not wanting to be judged, Princess Bubblegum smuggles the baby to Finn, forcing him to raise her and lie about her appearance.


_Princess Bubblegum's POV_

"_Parents should protect their children._" I remember saying those words. I remember how badly I looked down upon bad parents, and how horribly I felt for their offspring. I always considered myself a good caretaker, and a fairly fair princess. I was a great scientist, and I loved all my creations equally, but now things were different. I stroked my angel's precious, plump, pink face. My Liliana was merely a month old, and already I was forced to say goodbye. I'd never see her again…as long as I'd live. I should have never agreed to this situation. The moment I found out my pregnancy I should have terminated it: that way I could have never fallen in such love with my darling daughter. How could I think that way? She's my perfection, and the most beautiful creature in all of Ooo! Staring up at me, with those gorgeous loving eyes, I could tell Liliana sensed my depression.

"Darling," I started. "Mommy has to sneak you away now." My voice broke while my words flowed to a child too young to understand. "You'll be going with your father to live from now on, and while we'll never be allowed to know each other as mother and daughter-" My voice refused to continue, but Liliana looked at me, continuing to listen. "You will forever be my little sugary gem, alright? No matter what happens: I love you." A knock on my bedroom door made me leap into the air, and swiftly I tucked Liliana in her masqueraded cradle.

"Princess!" remarked Peppermint butler, rudely entering my room. "We've brought your birthday cake samples to try! Chocolate, chocolate fudge, triple chocolate, German chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate ice cream, and vanilla," he rattled off. I rolled my eyes and pushed him into the hallway.

"As Princess, I demand you respect my privacy. My door is not to be opened under any circumstances without my permission. I have to have my secrets, and I don't care what the reason is: do not interrupt that privacy without knocking," I demanded.

_No one's POV_

"Yes Princess," nervously whispered Peppermint Butler. He was heavily frightened by the princess's unknown anger.

"Oh, Liliana," hushed Princess Bubblegum. She scooped her little gooey haired child into her arms, and tried to comfort and calm her down.

"Psst, PB," called Finn from the window. "Psst!" Princess Bubblegum's head snapped toward her window. It couldn't be time; she'd not had enough time with her baby girl.

"Finn, what are you doing here? I told you to come and get Liliana on Monday," Princess Bubblegum scolded. She wanted one more day, just one more day.

"I know, I'm sorry Princess, it just took longer than I thought to set up Liliana's stuff."

"Longer?" asked Princess Bubblegum.

"Yeah, it's Tuesday morning," Finn reminded.

"I-It's already Tuesday?" Princess Bubblegum couldn't believe two days had passed without her even knowing. She'd been dreading this day for the past ten months. Today was the day she had to give her child to its father, and renounce the fact she'd ever been a mother.

"Yeah, you ok PB?"

"Finn," started the princess. "This child grew in me, she was created by _me_ she belongs to _me_ and I can never see her as my daughter again after this moment. It is as if I'm laying my own child down to die." Finn felt his heart skip a beat with guilt, and attempted to hug his ex-lover. "Do not touch me," demanded the princess. "Lest you wish to be carried to a dungeon for eternity under the charges of abuse, kidnapping, assault and perhaps rape."

"W-what the glob are you talkin' about PB?" asked the innocent adventurer. "I never did any of that stuff! That's cookoo nuts!"

"Yes, well my guards wouldn't see it that way with a baby on my arm as proof," Princess Bubblegum thought out loud, a grin beginning to appear across her face. Almost instantly she snapped from her deranged trance. "Finn, quickly, before I get more attached. Take the child and run. Don't fall prey to my motherly instincts. Take our child and run. I'll never say these words again, so let me savor them on my tongue while I can: I love you Liliana, and I love you Finn." With that, she shoved Finn on his way, swallowing her tears until both he and her child disappeared into the distant sunrise.

_Finn's POV_

Finally, after a month and a half of crying, I get to see my daughter for the first time. She's small, she's fussy, she's beautiful, and I love her more than I love myself and Jake put together. I had Liliana wrapped in bundles upon bundles of blankets. Walking into the tree house, I could already smell Jake's breakfast cooking. Sassages, bacon pancakes, Danishes, muffins, and scrambled eggs. I had no idea what the special occasion for Jake was, but it felt as if he knew we were celebrating Liliana's arrival. Of course, we couldn't let Jake know she was born because PB and I promised we'd never ever tell anyone, but it was almost like our bro-hood was so strong I didn't even have to tell him. Once climbed through the window and sat down with Liliana, I took off all the blankets keeping me from her. I could have passed out when I first saw her. So sweet, and innocent, with a cute little pink bubble gum curl peeking out of her head. She opened her small button-like eyes and smiled at me. She smiled at _me._ PB may have created a lot of candy people and junk, but my Liliana was the first and only candy-like creation I'd ever have. I can still remember her made-day. Princess Bubblegum and I had just gotten into a fight about her messing with my brain.

"_I can't do this PB! I can't date Flame Princess anymore because of you!"_

"_Finn, don't you understand? I cannot control who you love and whom you despise. It is under your disgression."_

"_Quit the science junk PB! I'm in love with you and you don't flopping care!"_

"_Now Finn, you know I'm a princess and there's nothing I can do. I just…want to express my feelings as freely as you. There's nothing I'd desire more than that…" _I remember grabbing her tiara, and chucking it as far as I could. Her reaction was anger, but when she realized I was giving her liberation, even though it was just metaphoric, she hugged me. She hugged me and then gave me a kiss. _"I love you too," she whispered. "I always have wanted to let you know, but it would never be able to go anywhere. I'm so sorry Finn."_

"_Don't be Pr- Bubbline. Right now, it doesn't matter what you do, because you don't exist outside these few moments." _She thought about it for a little while, and then she agreed…we just didn't know how carried away we'd get.

"Finn!" called Jake. "It's breakfast time!"

"I'll be there in a minute!" I called. Liliana gurgled as I tucked her in my bed, several blankets and pillows encasing her.

"Hurry dude! Your pancakes are gettin' cold and soggy!" I rolled my eyes and hopped downstairs.

"I'm coming!" I heard my mad-irritation and Jake backed off. I kissed Liliana before covering her little face with a thin blanket, and running down the stairs.

"Hey man, what was that all about?" asked Jake.

"Just drop it dude, morning madness."

"Yeah, I get that sometimes. You know the perfect cure? Bacon pancakes!" sang Jake. I laughed nervously, but I wasn't worried about the pancakes: I was just distracted. Liliana was probably sound asleep, dreaming about all her adventures she was going to go on some day. That, or was dangling off my bed. Before putting a bit in my mouth, I rushed back upstairs. Liliana still lay peacefully under the sheets, and I sighed. Was it going to be like this for the next eighteen years?

"Finn?" asked Jake from the door. "Talk to me man, what's going on?" I jumped across the bed and protected the blanket-shielded Liliana lying underneath.

"Nothing Jake!" pleaded I. "Come on bro, personal space."

"Sorry dude, but you've just been acting a little…bit…bananas today." I looked at my best friend's face, and then back at the blanket fortress. I knew: I couldn't lie to Jake. I couldn't convince him to believe I found a human bubblegum-haired baby on the bubblegum tree. I didn't _want_ to trick him into thinking that. I got to know his puppies, and be their uncle, so why shouldn't he know my daughter too?

"T-this is Liliana," I began. I slowly lifted the blanket off her sleeping body and showed her to Jake. "Liliana is my daughter." Jake's face twisted and his jaw went all the way to the floor.

"F-Finn man, how'd she get here?" asked Jake. I gulped and then lifted Liliana from her resting spot.

"PB and I…"

"Princess Bubblegum?!" exclaimed Jake. "Holy schnob, when was this?!" I growled a bit in frustration, but he did have the right for curiousness.

"It was a couple months ago, ok? Don't make such a big deal…"

"Don't make a big deal? You're a daddy man! Time to celebrate! HEY EVERY-" As soon as Jake opened the window to tell all of Ooo, I tackled him to the ground.

"No one can know man! No one...ever…" I explained. We stood, looking at each other, for a while. Neither of us really had an idea of what to say. I would have loved to party all night and celebrate being a dad, but it was just another sacrifice I had to make.

"Hang on just a sec man," Jake gasped. He stretched his arm and it came back into the room with a panda hat in hand. "Like father like daughter, right?" he asked. I watched as he put the hat over her pink locks. "There! No more evidence, and no more lies." If only it were that easy.

"Thanks man," I started. "But, I just want her to know I'm her dad, and there's no reason for her to feel shame."

"Well then we're off to a good start, right?"

"You know what bro? Maybe we are…"


End file.
